Statisgasmic

My birthday is on September 22nd.  I am a Virgo.  By nature, Virgos are meant to be analytical (as well as organised, which as anyone who knows me knows - I am NOT)..  Every now and then, that little analytical streak in me comes out, and I have myself a statisgasm...  Similar to a nerdgasm, but more specific... more specialised.  Yes.  My brain 'gets off' to statistics.

As long as the statistics are interesting.
Sadly a lot aren't.

HOWEVER.  Rugby statistics.... they can cause multiple statisgasms.

(halfback) TJ Perenara scores a trie for the Hurricanes

For example... did you know that of the 559 tries scored (thus far) across all SuperXV teams, 360 were scored by backs, as opposed to only 199 scored by forwards - and that within the backs, 143 of their tries were scored by wings, with Center and Halfback scoring 84 and 74 respectively - with the fullback further back on 59.

'Snakey' scores at home, for the Hurricanes

As for WHEN tries are most often scored?  I can tell you they are most often scored at home, in the second half - most specifically between 41-60 minutes.  11 teams scored more tries at home, with 2 teams scoring the same amount of tries both at home and away.  NONE of the teams in the playoffs scored more tries away, than at home - so does this indicate that the teams playing at home for their quarter/semi/final have more of a likelihood of winning?  All teams in the playoffs have won a large majority of their home games.... (but then also a large majority of their away games also... so moot point?).

Tom Taylor on his way to 31 points
in one Super XV game (v Stormers)

When you get down to top points scorers, of the top 5, 3 are from New Zealand franchises - not surprisingly they are Cruden, Barrett and Tom Taylor.  Cruden and Barrett had a very similar number of penalties and conversions, however Tom Taylor had a substantially larger number of penalties.  Tom Taylor successfully kicked 15/17 conversions and 37/45 penalties - a strike rate of 84%
Aaron Cruden successfully kicked 35/44 conversions and 43/52 penalties - a strike rate of 81%
Beauden Barrett successfully kicked 35/51 conversions and 39/48 penalties - a strike rate of 75%.

I would love to be a rugby statistician!  Maybe if they offered rugby statistics at high school, I would have paid a tiny little bit of attention to maths.. because while I have never used Pythagorus' theorum (something to do with triangles?) since having to use it for pointless maths sessions at school, I quite often refer to my rugby statistics....  Come think of it - had they incorporated rugby into ALL of my subjects at school, I would quite possibly have been a little happier to stick around, rather than being in a hell of a rush to get out of there....  Now.  A PhD in rugby.. THAT would be pretty fucking awesome.........

East Stand.. Least Stand!

The fog sucked, but Gab had a good time!

I officially strongly dislike the East Stand at Addington Stadium (or AMI Stadium, whatever you wanna call it).  Both times I've sat there it has been foggy, both times there has been sweet fuck all action down that end of the field - and I have to say, the fact you don't get a good view of the Crusaders waming up, that also sours the deal a lot! 

Hello there, Mr Guildford!

I didn't realise how much I rely on watching the boys warm up, to get me into the rugby mood... it just wasn't the same on Saturday night!  Gaby and I went and watched the final round robin match of the Super XV - Crusaders vs Force, the first half was pretty exciting - the Crusaders scored four tries (Izzy, Sean Maitland, Andy Ellis & Matt Todd), but the second half was very much a bore.  The only points were down the opposite end of the field (to the Force), and most of the action happened down there as well...  A few times the teams were down our end of the field, but for the most part we were left squinting into the distance to see what was happening.

OMG some action down our end!

There is a quarter final here this weekend - the Crusaders vs Bulls, and I would love to go, but if they aren't going to open the West Stand, I don't think I will bother, because I'm not spending another game away from all the action.  And yes, admittedly away from watching the boys warm up!  I know it shouldn't be about perving on the few sexy dudes in the team - but whether it's right or not, it's a part of the appeal of rugby for ME...

I did get a few okay glimpses of Zaccy on Saturday night, but nothing compared to the other games I've been to, and it was a bit of a let down...  Gaby had a great time and made friends with the kids sitting next to us, and enjoyed getting high 5's from the creepy 'WooHoo Moment' gimps... I think for the first time Gaby enjoyed a game more than me!

Oh yea.  And rugby sucks without Lauriel sitting beside me.... *pouts*

Sonny Bill Williams: Media Whore

In half an hour there is going to be a press conference.  The focus of the presser, is no other than the money hungry media whore, that we know as one Sonny Bill Williams.

It is expected that Mr Money Bill Williams, is going to announce that he is leaving New Zealand (haaaaalelujahhhhh) to play rugby in Japan until the end of 2012 (earning him a cool 1.7mil), before going back to Australia - where he belongs, to play in the NRL in 2013 - for the Sydney Roosters (earning $650,000 a season).

I'd prefer he was playing for a Queensland team.  I quite like Sydney.

I guess the attention has been waning over here, so it's time to jump ship, go and create a media storm somewhere else, before jumping ship again and creating another media storm.... playing for a year or two & then creating another media storm by jumping ship again - maybe to play professional tennis, join a Russian ballet troupe, or attempt to qualify for the 2016 Chinese Olympic Gymnastic team...  IF his head hasn't been knocked off in a boxing match by then.

We can only hope it has been.

Another Rugby Date-NIght

School holidays are awesome for one reason, and one reason alone - and it's certainly not child related.  No.  School holidays mean that Lauriel and I get to spend some much needed time together.  June 30th arrived and I picked Lauriel up from the airport, a few hours later we dumped (I mean, dropped off) Gaby at my parents house and went to the Palms to get the bus out to Addington... for the RUGBY!

Date night!!!!

Yeap.  Our first night together - we could have gone to a nice restaurant, for a nice meal - followed by a movie, or perhaps a lovely moonlit stroll along the beach... But that is so not us.  Instead we went with Lauren, to see the Crusaders vs Hurricanes match - both more than excited about our seats in the second row of the west stand.

In other words, two rows back from where the Crusaders would do their warm up.....  Which is another way of saying optimal perving position!!!!

The game was close, but sadly the Crusaders lost (yes, I said that and meant it...), but I don't think that really mattered to either of us, as we were able to do more than our fair share of perving...

No Zac.. I don't mind at all, if you stand in front of me...

Mr McCaw.. do you realise you just made my fiancee explode?

Sure Zac.. pull your top up in front of me.. I don't care..

Mr McCaw!!  You just killed my fiancee!!!!!

What's good for the Captain, is good for the players...